Around the World in 80 Healing Techniques
When you’re on your knees, you need more than Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. You need a lifeline.
Years ago, I found myself exactly there—staring down the barrel of severe depression, chronic anxiety, and two debilitating body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs): skin picking and hair pulling. Conventional therapy hadn’t helped. I was spiraling, desperate for a way out.
So I did what I know best: I traveled. Not for vacation. Not for distraction. I traveled to save my life. I didn’t set out to heal. I set out to escape. But in trying to escape, I ended up returning to myself.
I never imagined that my passion for travel and hospitality—two things that had always felt separate from my health—would become the very threads that wove together my healing, and ultimately my entrepreneurship journey. Looking back now, I see that I had to go through every step to connect the dots. And as Steve Jobs once said, "you can only connect the dots looking backwards."
What unfolded was the ultimate self-help journey. Not in theory, but a literal voyage. From silent monasteries to tropical jungles, from ancient rituals to modern biohacks, I slowly began to piece myself back together.
This is not just a story of healing—it’s a global quest for meaning, wholeness, and self-love. Like “Eat Pray Love” on steroids, I embarked on a literal and spiritual odyssey, collecting wisdom, tools, and techniques from the farthest corners of the world. My passport became a prescription. Every flight, every border crossed was another page in the book of my recovery.
And as I healed, I was called to help others do the same. I became a certified health and nutrition coach, a trauma-informed coach, and co-founded Heart Core Hotels—a wellness-informed hotel company that helps people experience healing while they travel.
This article is a map of the modalities that changed my life. Each one is rooted in a place, a culture, or a teacher I encountered on the road. They are not ranked, not exhaustive, and not a one-size-fits-all. But they are real, and together, they formed the blueprint of my recovery. Here are the techniques that helped me alchemize who I am today. Welcome to my Trauma Travel Toolkit.
1. Hawai’i – Ho’oponopono and Huna Principles
Living in Hawaii was the beginning of my forgiveness journey. Ho’oponopono is a traditional Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness, but what blew me away was learning to forgive myself — especially my own hands. For years, I hated them for picking at my skin and pulling my hair. This practice helped me reclaim them as instruments of healing, not harm. Huna principles also taught me to live in alignment with universal energy. Hawaii was not just paradise. It was my portal to inner peace.
2. India – Ayurveda and Dharma
India gave me structure and clarified my life’s purpose. I discovered Ayurveda, the ancient science of life, and it completely reshaped how I treat my body. Daily rituals like tongue scraping, oil pulling, and seasonal eating according to my dosha became anchors. But beyond the physical, India introduced me to the concept of Dharma—our soul’s purpose. I realized that my Dharma was a blend of hospitality, healing, and guiding others on similar paths. The moment I accepted that, everything started falling into place.
3. Burma (via India) – Vipassana Meditation
Though I went to do my 10-day silent retreat in Madras, India, the lineage of the practice traces back to Burma. Vipassana was brutal in the best way. Ten days of silence, no distractions, just sitting with everything I wanted to escape. I cried. I panicked. I almost left. But I stayed. And on the other side was a version of myself I had never met before: grounded, aware, and capable of holding pain without reacting. Vipassana changed my brain, my nervous system, and ultimately, my life.
4. Peru – Ayahuasca with Shipibo Healers
Nothing could have prepared me for the experience in the Peruvian Amazon. Under the guidance of Shipibo healers, I participated in an Ayahuasca ceremony that remains the most miraculous night of my life. In one ceremony, my trichotillomania lifted. In another, my skin picking lost its grip. This wasn’t magic; it was deep, ancestral medicine doing what no therapist or drug had done: getting to the root.
5. Japan – Forest Bathing and Reiki
Japan taught me subtlety. In the West, healing often feels aggressive or performative. But here, it was quiet and natural. Forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) taught me the therapeutic power of simply being among trees. Reiki opened my awareness to energy and subtle healing. I became a practitioner, using it to heal myself. It even helped my dog Sushi when she was sick. These practices taught me that not all healing has to be loud. Sometimes, it whispers.
6. Italy – Dolce Far Niente
Italy reminded me to stop chasing and start being. The art of doing nothing—dolce far niente—was revolutionary for someone who had always used productivity as a shield against pain. I learned to rest, to enjoy slow mornings and lazy afternoons, to savor instead of strive. And in that softness, I found profound feminine energy and a deeper connection to my intuition.
7. Costa Rica – Eco-Immersion and Nature Healing
As the birthplace of ecotourism, Costa Rica introduced me to nature as healer. Living according to the Earth’s rhythms, reducing waste, and immersing in the natural world became spiritual practices. I now run my business according to these principles, infusing sustainability into every part of life and travel.
8. Thailand – Thai Massage and Somatic Wisdom
A $5 massage at 2am in Bangkok shifted something in me. I realized how much stress, trauma, and emotion was trapped in my muscles. Thai massage showed me the intelligence of the body and sparked my journey into somatic healing. I now regularly receive deep tissue and myofascial release work to keep my body and emotions in flow. Not to mention other types of somatic work like ecstatic dance and breathwork (see 14).
9. California – Biohacking and Innovation
California is the Silicon Valley of wellness. Biohacking became part of my daily toolkit: red light therapy, cold exposure, functional supplements, glucose monitoring and sleep optimization. The idea that we can engineer our health through data and intuition combined lit a fire in me. I predict this is where the future of medicine is heading.
10. Egypt – Divine Feminine and Throat Chakra Healing
Egypt woke up my inner goddess. It also triggered a profound release in my throat chakra—a lifelong struggle with self-expression. Traveling through the land of Isis and Cleopatra reminded me how powerful women truly are. Visiting with my Egyptian ex-in-laws (Coptic Christians) also illuminated the pain of silenced cultures, and how collective trauma mirrors our individual wounds.
11. Australia – Sobriety and Shadow Work
Spending time on Aboriginal lands revealed the deep, often destructive relationship many cultures have with alcohol. While I still enjoy the occasional glass of wine or a good cocktail, I became more conscious about my consumption. The less I drank, the better my skin behaved. Near-sobriety became a powerful tool in reclaiming control over my impulses.
12. Mexico (Yucatán) – Temazcal and Sweat Ceremonies
Temazcales, or sweat lodges, became sacred to me. These intense, purifying rituals helped me release toxins—both physical and emotional. There’s something ancient and cellular about sweating in the dark, surrounded by prayers and steam. It’s not just detoxifying; it’s rebirthing.
13. South Korea – Skincare as Self-Respect
Korean skincare changed the way I treated my face. Gone were the harsh, stripping products. In came minimalist, deeply hydrating routines. This shift helped me reduce picking and reestablish trust with my skin. I realized skincare isn’t vanity. It’s intimacy.
14. Czech Republic – Holotropic Breathwork
The Czech Republic gave us Stan Grof and holotropic breathwork. Through this powerful modality, I accessed altered states of consciousness that rivaled psychedelics and plant medicine. I use it whenever I need clarity, emotional release, or spiritual connection. The breath is the bridge.
15. Poland – Family Constellations and Gut Health
Poland, my birthplace, brought me back to my roots—and my lineage. I explored epigenetics, family constellations, and how unresolved ancestral trauma often manifests in BFRBs. I also embraced my grandmother’s remedies, fermented foods, and the healing power of a well-fed gut.
16. Oregon – Psychedelic Research and Microdosing
The Pacific Northwest, especially Oregon, is at the forefront of mycelium research and psychedelic healing. I experimented with microdosing with mixed results, but overall found it a helpful adjunct in moments of transition and growth.
17. Scotland (via California) – Past Life Regression
Ainslie MacLeod, a Scottish past-life psychic based in California, confirmed a past life accident in which I had a traumatic skin injury. It gave eerie context to my skin perfectionism in this incarnation. His reading tied karmic threads together in ways that still give me chills.
18. Sardinia – Community and Connection
As one of the world’s Blue Zones, Sardinia showed me that healing doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s born from connection, community, and support. I realized, after years of hiding in my bedroom, that the more I opened myself up to new friendships, the more I healed.
19. China – TCM and Energetic Flow
Even though I haven’t visited China yet, Traditional Chinese Medicine has shaped my healing: from acupuncture to herbal medicine to feng shui. I learned to view health as the flow of energy, not just the absence of disease.
20. Scandinavia – Minimalism and Sacred Space
Scandinavia taught me that clean, intentional spaces foster clear, intentional minds. Decluttering my home became symbolic of decluttering my psyche. Minimalism became a mental health strategy. Forget Marie Kondo, head to Oslo this summer instead.
21. Russia – Shamanic Practices and Soul Retrieval
Siberia is one of the birthplaces of shamanism. I haven’t visited that remote part of Russia in person, but I did work with shamanic healers and practiced soul retrieval—journeying to recover lost parts of myself. This was profound in healing trauma that talk therapy could never access.
22. Bali (Soon) – Purification Rituals
Even though I have yet to visit Bali's sacred water temples, water and other purification rituals have already become a big part of my practice. Ritual, in general, has become essential—a way to mark transitions and integrate healing.
23. Chile – Neuroshamanism and Birth Trauma
Alberto Villoldo, a Chile-based neuroshaman, performed a transformative energy clearing on me. He picked up on my birth trauma instantly. My mother had been advised to abort me after the Chernobyl explosion. She didn’t, but carried the fear and paranoia through her pregnancy. That energy stayed with me until he helped release it.
24. London – NLP, Hypnotherapy and Tapping
While living in London, I explored hypnotherapy and NLP. The results were mixed at first, but combined with tapping (EFT), I found a powerful trio for rewiring limiting beliefs and calming urges. These are now staples in my healing toolbox.
25. Native American Teachings – Earth and Spirit
From vision quests to sweat lodges, Native American wisdom has always resonated with me. Their teachings about stewardship, cyclical living, and seven-generation thinking shifted how I live and lead.
26. Spain – Food, Freshness, and Friendship
Spain taught me that food is more than fuel—it’s communion. Eating fresh, organic produce ripened under the Mediterranean sun, preparing wholesome meals at home, and sharing them with friends became rituals of nourishment. This wasn’t just about nutrition; it was about joy, connection, and feeding the soul. The Spanish lifestyle helped me slow down, savor, and heal from the inside out.
27. USA – Manifestation and Mindset
America gave me the language of manifestation. We manifest 24/7 either way, so choose your thoughts wisely. Indeed, I realized that healing begins with belief. If I could envision the version of myself free from skin picking and hair pulling, she already existed. My job was to become her. To grow into the person that can walk in her shoes. I can see clearly now that every passport stamp brought me closer to that vision, that part of the timeline. For my pro manifestors out there - travel is the ultimate quantum leap hack!
The Journey Ahead
These are more than techniques; they are sacred waypoints on my healing pilgrimage. They gave me the tools to turn pain into purpose. And in doing so, I manifested my life’s vision into being.
These techniques, places, and teachings are not a list—they are living threads in the sacred web of who I am today. This isn’t a prescription. It’s an invitation.
To be clear, I’m not anti-therapy. And I’m certainly not anti-medication. Both have their place, and both have helped countless people. But what I’ve come to realize is that healing wears many faces depending on where you are in the world. Sometimes it’s a one-on-one session on BetterHelp. Other times, it’s a jungle trek, a cold plunge, a cup of fermented pickle juice, or a quiet whisper from a medicine woman in a temple. Healing isn’t linear—and it isn’t always clinical. It’s cultural. It’s intuitive. It’s everywhere, if you’re open to receiving it.
Most importantly, you don’t have to go around the world to heal. Quite the opposite - you have to go inward. And when your compass is broken, maybe travel—literal or metaphorical—can help you find your way again.
From rock bottom to rooftop sunrises, I now live a life I once couldn’t imagine. And it started the moment I decided that healing wasn’t a destination. It was the journey itself. Travel didn’t just help me escape. It brought me home to myself. And the best part? I’m only getting started.
If you're struggling with BFRBs or your own healing journey, know this: you're not broken. You're becoming. And there's a world of wisdom waiting to support you. One step, one technique, one ritual at a time.
The title is a reference to my Anthony Bourdain inspired mindful food travel blog Around the World in 80 Flavors.